Thursdays at Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Take Two

The “Take Two” short segment reviews independently made films and art-house movies currently showing in Kansas City. Take Two first went on the air in 2012 and is co-hosted by Russ Simmons, producer of the “Freeze Frame” short segment, and Susan Sanders, former psychotherapist in the Kansas City area.

The segment airs at the following times:

Thursdays at 10:58 am

Fridays at 12:30 pm during “Anything Goes”

Saturdays at 5:58 pm between “Guess Who’s Coming to KC” and “Roots-Wise Reggae”

December 8, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Sonia Warshawski is a 92-year-old Holocaust survivor who ran a tailor shop in the now-demolished Metcalf South Shopping Center for over 30 years. Her story, and that of her quest to inform people about the Holocaust is chronicled in "Big Sonia" a documentary about her life directed by her granddaughter Leah Warshawski and Leah's husband, Todd Soliday. Susan and Russ agree that it's well worth seeing.

November 24, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Writer/director Sean Baker ("Tangerine") brings his hyper-realistic style to "The Florida Project," a look at those who live on the fringes of society directly in the shadow of Disney World. Susan and Russ review this unusual comic drama about a motel manager (Willem DeFoe) and the under-supervised transient kids who live there. Young Brooklynn Prince gives a terrific child performance as Moonee in this plotless movie about the poor in America.

November 17, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Actress Greta Gerwig steps behind the camera and, as a writer/director, proves her mettle. Russ and Susan agree that "Lady Bird" is a beautifully acted, written and directed coming-of-age story set in the early 2000s. Saoirse Ronan plays a young girl coping with adolescence in a Catholic school in Sacramento, CA. Laurie Metcalf is her put upon mom.

November 10, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Famed simian expert Jane Goodall is the subject of the documentary, "Jane" that features footage shot by her former husband, acclaimed wildlife photographer Hugo van Lawick. Susan and Russ take a peek.

November 3, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Does George Clooney + the Coen Brothers + Matt Damon = a hit? Not so fast. Susan and Russ take a look at a very edgy, pitch black comedy that that dares to shake up our conception of the idyllic American suburbia of the 1950s.

October 27, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

A sequel released 35 years after the original has struggled at the box office. But, the 1982 original struggled in theaters, too. "Blade Runner" became a classic thanks to home video. Susan and Russ take a look at "Blade Runner 2049" starring Ryan Gosling and Harrison Ford, directed by Denis Villeneuve ("Arrival").

October 20, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

"American Made" tells the remarkable true story of Barry Seal, a TWA pilot who was recruited by the CIA to do aerial reconnaissance over Central America in the 1980s. Tom Cruise plays Seal, who became a drugs and arms smuggler and eventually established a secret training ground for Nicaraguan Contras in Mena, Arkansas. The movie was directed by Doug Liman ("The Bourne Identity").

October 6, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

Morgan Dameron, a KC native who worked as assistant to director J. J. Abrams ("Star Wars: The Force Awakens"), shot her first film as writer/director, a gentle comedy called "Different Flowers." The film stars Emma Bell ("The Walking Dead") and Hope Lauren ("Supergirl") as sisters who take off on a road trip when one of them gets cold feet at the alter. They visit the farm of their grandmother (Shelly Long from "Cheers") while deciding what to do with the rest of their lives. The film was shot in and around the Kansas City area.

September 29, 2017 | Fridays, 12:30 pm, Saturdays, 5:58 pm)

The infamous 1973 tennis match between Billie Jean King and Bobby Riggs was viewed on TV by 90 million people. The new film "Battle of the Sexes" is a comic drama that places it in the context of the social change of that era. Oscar winner Emma Stone and Steve Carell star in the movie directed by Jonathan Dayton and Valerie Faris ("Little Miss Sunshine") and written by Simon Beaufoy ("Slumdog Millionaire"). Susan and Russ share their views.

Although I don't produce my own show, I participate in other people's shows and I simply love the comraderie. On the "Pioneer Series" for Heartland Labor Forum, I've interviewed women in traditionally male-identified jobs: a female pilot, firefighter, drummer, mail carrier, electrician. For the "Tenth Voice", I interviewed a woman in a gay marriage who shared candidly about the validity as well as travails of seeking recognition for her committed bond. I also wrote and starred with Tom Edmondson in a four-episode soap opera called: "Fatal Femmes and the Derringer Dame". With Bill Clause, I conducted a class in writing comedy for the radio. This effort resulted in a one hour success called "Radio for Laughs". With Russ Simmons, I co-host the "Take Two" spot which involves reviewing independently made films and art-house movies currently showing in Kansas City.